The Dead Walk
by SolidSnake19
Summary: This is my first Dawn of the Dead fic. Its about a Marine's life once the dead start to walk. I'm not a military fanatic, though I do know some, but I will make mistakes. If I make any huge mistakes, then just tell me, and I'll try to fix it. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

My alarm clock buzzed and beeped noisily. "Aw, fuck, c'mon," I mumbled to myself. I reached over and blindly searched for the snooze button. After thirty seconds, it was programmed to switch to the radio. It was on the sports station—I'd fallen asleep listening to my favorite radio show—yet, some newscaster was talking frantically about riots and such.

"There have been reports of chaos on the motorways as thousands of people try to leave, there's—" I shut it off.

I glanced at the clock; it read 4:30 AM. Fuckin' military life.

I more or less fell out of bed, and walked to my closet, my room still bathed in complete darkness. I scratched my stubble, and walked to my closet.

I opened it and pulled out my army fatigues and camouflage. I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a pair of underwear.

I walked into my bathroom and turned on the light, temporarily blinded. I pinched the bridge of my nose and turned on the shower. I took off my boxers and threw them behind me. I admired my physique in the mirror. Military life was hard, but it showed. I flexed and admired my image.

I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over my body. I cracked my ankles, popped my knees, cracked my back, then my knuckles, finishing with my neck.

After a few minutes I turned off the shower, and grabbed a towel.

I dried off and put on my underwear and pants. I opened one of my drawers and put on my dog-tags that were in there. After I finished my routine, I walked over to my closet and got all my army outfits, and threw them inside a duffel bag.

After getting all my gear together, I did fifty sit-ups. After my sit-ups, I started to do fifty push-ups.

"36, 37, 38, 39," I said between grunts. I was on forty-four, when someone started banging on my door.

"Yo, Snyder, get the fuck up!" yelled a deep voice. "Yeah, wake up!" yelled another voice, this one higher, a woman's voice.

"I'm coming, Jesus," I yelled. I grabbed my duffel bag, and put on an undershirt. I put one arm through my camouflage jacket, and opened the door.

There were two of my squad members, Staff Sergeant John Horvath and Private Alexandra Banks. "You geared up Private?" asked John.

"Drop the formality John," I said. I put my other arm through my jacket. I shook my duffel bag. "Yeah I'm geared up."

"Good. Now let's blow this popsicle stand."

We started walking down the hallways of my apartment building. "Hey, Ally," I said, nudging her a little. We were friends, not the best, but she was nice enough. And pretty damn hot, I might add.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Do you have any idea why us reserve were told to expect a transport at 5 in the morning?"

"You know about the riots?"

"Kind of, why?"

"Well, there getting out of hand. They're calling in all reserves for assistance. Martial law's about to be appointed."

I whistled lowly. "Even us Marines?"

"Like I said everyone."

We'd reached the door, and I noticed a Humvee outside. There was someone on the .50 cal and some Marines were crouched down with their rifles at the ready.

We stepped outside, and the air slapped my skin. We walked over to the Humvee and I opened the back and I stepped in, the rest of the soldiers following. I recognized my best friend Christian Sanchez. "Sup Chris," I said.

"Sup Jack." He lifted two guns. "Want the M16 or the M4."

I chuckled. "You already know, the M4." He handed it to me, along with four clips of ammo. I pulled out the clip in the M4 and took some tape from my duffel bag. I taped the two clips together, making for faster reload. He handed me a Beretta and three clips, as well as some frag grenades.

I looked through the laser scope of my M4. It had a 4X zoom. I cocked the M4, and turned off the safety.

The Humvee started to move, as Ally handed me a spare Kevlar vest. I took off my jacket, and put on the Kevlar over my undershirt.

I looked out the windshield. Although it was early in the morning, there was no one on the roads.

"What the hell happened?" I asked.

Christian spoke up. "Well, the rioters are spreading."

"I know that, but how?"

"No idea. But, if you ask me, this ain't rioters. This is something bigger. How it spread just doesn't seem right. And how they attack…It's just not right."

I was curious. "How do they attack?"  
"_Teeth_. The sons of bitches bite you."  
"Fuckin' zombies," I muttered.

"That's what I'm thinkin'."

The .50 cal let loose and I quickly looked out the windshield. A mob of rioters were tearing at us.

"Let's fucking lock and load," said John.

I opened the door and stepped outside. The mob was about half a mile away and was coming at us full speed.

The .50 cal shooting in front of the mob, warning them. "Can we kill?" I asked.

"Only if provoked," John answered.

They were still running at us, and the .50 cal stopped shooting.

I looked through the scope and looked at one of the 'rioters.' Half of his face was missing, and his arm had been torn off.

"Fuck that," I said, and fired three shots into the crowd. None of them even flinched, even the ones I hit.

The mob was a fourth of a mile away now.

"Holy shit, they didn't even stop!" yelled one of the soldiers.

"What the fuck are you doing Snyder?" yelled John.

"They ain't fucking right, and they ain't stopping," I retorted.

I unloaded my clip into the crowd, and only four went down. "See?" I said.

John looked around. "Fire at will!" he yelled.

Everyone started shooting, and the .50 cal let loose.

Instantly ten or twelve of the mob flew down, but the mob kept coming.

I didn't shoot, saving my ammo.

The mob was getting closer, though the numbers were thinning, until finally only a few stragglers were left running.

"Stop shooting," I yelled, "save your ammo!"

Everyone stopped firing. Only three of them were left and they were shuffling towards us.

I pulled out my knife and jogged towards them. "Hey assholes, don't you think you guys should have stopped running towards us?" I said when I was standing about ten feet away from them.

They just made a primitive scream and gnashed their teeth.

I jogged towards the nearest one and stuck the knife through his chin. The K-Bar had a little resistance at first, but slid through, and the man crumpled to the ground.

I took a few steps towards the next one, and did the same thing.

The last one had his intestine and guts spilling out of him. I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him. I grabbed his hair with my other hand, and walked back to the Humvee. "I don't think these are rioters," I said before sticking my knife through the back of his skull.

I pulled my knife out, blood and brain matter on it. I wiped it on the clean part of the dead man's pants, and stuck the knife back in its sheath.

"Damn, what the hell are these things," asked Ally in a scared voice.

"Zombies," Christian and I said in unison.


	2. Chapter 2

"_The right person in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world."_

_-G-Man, Half-Life 2_

We returned to the Humvee and John got on the CB. "_Rioters aren't rioters. Extremely dangerous, shot in the head will put them down, nothing else will. Over._"

As we settled back into our 'seats,' I tried to tone down my adrenaline. I had a bad habit of getting over hyped, running into situations that I shouldn't.

I closed my eyes, and breathed in deeply, held in my breath for a few seconds, than let it out slowly.

I reached into my duffel bag and pulled out my iPod. I put in the earphones and searched through my videos. I selected on the one that said 'very cool' and pressed play. I tucked the iPod into my pocket, and listened to the video.

Christian had seen which video I chose, and nudged my shoulder. I already knew what he was going to ask, so I gave him one of the earphones.

He put it in his ear, and smiled. "Let me watch."

I looked at him, and flicked my head in the direction of Ally. "Oh," he said, and his smile broadened.

I heard someone on the CB say, "_Return to base for re-supply. Rest for awhile, then get out and clear the city. Over."_

It was about an hour drive to the base, and I tried to settle in a comfortable position and I let my mind slow itself down.

Although no one was saying it, everyone was thinking the same thing: _Zombies?!_

We drove in silence for about fifteen minutes, and I was beginning to drift off to sleep. I had my eyes closed when I felt someone tap my shoulder again.

I opened my eyes and was about to yell at Christian for waking me up, when I noticed that he had fallen asleep, and it was Ally who had touched me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"What are you listening to?" she asked.

I grinned at her. "You don't want to know."

"C'mon tell me. Or let me listen!"

I looked over at Christian, and plucked the earphone from his ear. He didn't stir. I patted the seat next to me, and she moved over.

I switched ears and gave her the earphone.

She stuck it in her ear, and listened for about ten seconds. Then a look of horror came over her face.

She took the earphone out and looked at me astonished. "What the fuck was that?!" she asked.

I chuckled and took the earphone again. My ears were flooded with the sound of a woman panting and a man grunting.

"Right there! Oh ya!" she was screaming. It never ceases to calm me.

Despite herself she couldn't help but smile. "Only you, Jack, would ever let a woman listen to porn." At the word porn, several soldiers looked up, but no one said anything.

"I warned you didn't I? And, it's not porn, it's art."

She laughed. "Give me the earphone."

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, some girls like this stuff too."

I gave her the earphone, and pulled out the iPod. For the next forty-five minutes, we watched Jenna Jameson get her pleasure.

We arrived at base and I turned off the iPod—much to my dismay—and stuck it back in the duffel bag.

I stepped out of the Humvee and stretched. I cracked my knuckles, and held out my hand to help Ally out.

She took it, and hopped out. "Thanks." I nodded, and pulled a pack of cigarettes from my pocket.

I stuck one in my lip and pulled out a Zippo. I lit the Marlboro and took a long drag. I made a smoke ring and it flew away.

"Can I have one?" asked Ally, as the others came out the Humvee and got there bags and luggage.

I looked at her suspiciously. I had never seen her smoke. "Sure," I said, and gave her one. She stuck it in her mouth, and I lit it for her.

She took a small drag, and a second later coughed hard.

I laughed. "Why are you smoking all of the sudden?" I asked.

She coughed a little bit more. "I thought it might calm me."

"Did it?"

"No." She laughed a little. "I always thought that this kind of shit would kill me."

I smiled. "F.U.B.A.R?"

She looked confused. "What's F.U.B.A.R?"

"Never seen Saving Private Ryan?"

"Can't say that I have." She took a pull on her cigarette.

"Well, then don't talk to me until you have." A few seconds later, Christian slapped me with my duffel bag. "C'mon let's go," he said. I finished my cigarette and stamped it out.

I took my duffel bag, and set it down. I opened it, and scrounged through it. I pulled out my copy of _Saving Private Ryan._ "Watch this Ally. Watch it and love it."

She took it. "You brought this with you?"

"I never leave for base without this. It's a necessity."

"Alright I'll watch it." She took another drag off her cigarette.  
Christian popped in. "Uh, when you guys are done blowing each other, maybe we can go to our rooms?"

I winked at Ally. "Bye."

Christian and I started walking towards our room. "God, Ally is so fucking hot," Christian said, with a low whistle.

"Back off, she's mine," I said.

"In your fucking dreams she's yours, I liked her before you knew she existed!"

I knew he was just kidding around, but I was serious. "Dude, I'm fucking serious, I like her. I know that this is the whole end of the world thing, but when this is all sorted out, I want to ask her out."

Christian laughed. "Take it easy, bro, I was just kiddin'. Jeez, calm down."

I glared at him, but my expression softened. "C'mon let's go."

We walked into our room. It was furnished simply, with two desks placed a few feet apart, and a small TV placed on a TV stand. There were two small cots, with a pillow and two blankets on them. I threw my duffel bag at the foot of one of the beds. Christian went to the bathroom.

I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. It was news on every channel. I settled on CNN and watched it.

Some fairly pretty anchorwoman was spewing BS about the 'rioters.' She was suddenly interrupted by a scream. The camera swung over to a man.

The man had fallen on the ground and was convulsing for a few seconds before he stopped abruptly. An older looking woman rushed over, tears streaming down her face. "Oh my god Bob oh my god Bob ohmygodBob!" she was saying.

"That's fucked up." Christian had come out of the bathroom.

The camera zoomed in on the man's face. About thirty seconds later, the man's eyes opened again. But, they were not human's eyes. There was something primitive in them, something that didn't look right.

He stood up and took a quick look around. A smile came across the woman's face. "Bob, you're alive! I thought you were dead!" She wrapped her arms around his body.

There was a great snarling sound and he bit into her shoulder. She cried out, and he continued to gnaw on her.

I turned off the TV.

"Damn…" was all I could say. It was so much different watching an innocent person die.

Christian ran his hand through his close-cropped hair. "I'm going to try and get a few hours of shut-eye," he said. "I don't think we're going to be getting too much sleep once the Hell really starts."

"Amen to that. I'm going to go explore a little though, see if I can help out, maybe kiss a little ass."

I opened the door and I thought I heard him mumble, "Or maybe spend some time with Ally…"

I closed the door, and walked outside.

I surveyed the base. There seemed to be controlled chaos everywhere. Helicopters were taking off and landing, and Humvees were driving everywhere. Soldiers were running every which way.

I looked at the Medical Bay. Even from the distance you could tell that the place was overrun with injured people.

I started jogging over there, figuring I could find someway to help out.

When I got there, I noticed that there were more people than I had expected there. They had set up an unused barracks next to the MB as another mini-hospital.

I walked over to a doctor. "Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

"Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Yeah you can help. Get hell out of the hospital." He started to walk away.

I grabbed his arm. "Listen, I'm trying to be polite here. I've got nothing to do. I'm an able-bodied man, and I can help. Now let me help."  
The doctor eyed me. "Alright. You can be a mini-nurse. You can dress a wound I assume?"

It was part of our basic training to learn how to heal a minor wound. "Kind of, yeah."

"Good. Go over there"—he pointed at line of people—"there dressing up the small wounds."

I jogged over there. "Where's your injury soldier?" asked a doctor.

"I'm not injured. I'm here to help."  
"Good. We can use the help."

For the next ten minutes or so I attended to the minor wounds. I noticed that the majority of wounds were bites.

Maybe it was just my paranoia, but I in the movies the people bitten always turned into zombies. Maybe that was just in the moves though.

A few minutes later, I was wrapping some gauze around some guy's arm—a bite—when I heard a great yelp.

I turned around and saw someone who's wound I had dressed—a bite. He was on the ground convulsing. "Oh shit," I said loudly.

I walked over to the small group of about fifteen people who had crowded around him. "What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know. He was bitching about his bite when he just fell over and started convulsing on the ground," someone answered.

I pulled out my pistol. I cocked it, turned off the safety, and pointed the gun at his head.

"Is he having a seizure?" someone yelled.

I fired the bullet into the man's skull.

I felt a great hit on the back of my head, and I fell down. "YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!!!!" I heard someone scream.

"He was…becoming…a zom…bie…" I said, suddenly exhausted.

"LIFE FUCK HE WAS! YOU JUST KILLED HIM FOR NO REASON!"

I heard the echo of a gunshot. I was still on the ground, but I could see everyone crouched.

"Who the hell hit this man?" said a familiar voice. I couldn't place the voice though.

No one answered, so the voice yelled louder, "I said WHO THE HELL HIT THIS MAN?!"

I was finally beginning to see again, and I looked over. Some huge black man raised his hand. "I did, sir. He shot my best friend for no reason, sir."

"Well, Private Blue, you're about to get shot to if you don't get the hell out of my sight."

I saw someone—I couldn't read their face, my brain was still fuzzy—and he knelt down beside me. "Jack. Why did you shoot this man?"

"He was…becoming a…zombie….All those who are bitten are going to become one….Just like the movies….Ask Christ—Private Sanchez and he'll…tell you the…same thing…" I said, barely able to speak, the black walls becoming to close again.

"Okay….Now sleep. You deserve it."

At that time, that sounded like a great idea to me. The walls closed and I passed out with one thought on my mind: How did one punch knock me out?


	3. Chapter 3

_"They say 'evil prevails when good men fail to act.' What they should say is, 'Evil prevails.'_

_-Yuri Orlov, _Lord of War

* * *

"Wake up, Jack." A voice called to me, distant, an echo.

"I can't…" I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, you can. And you will."

I sighed deeply. "No I can't…" Whatever it was that I was sleeping on, or laying on, it felt so good, and I couldn't get up from it.

"Fuck this. GET YOUR ASS UP SOLDIER!"

I immediately bolted up, and my arm almost flew to my head in a salute. The sergeant yelling "GET YOUR ASS UP SOLDIER" was a favorite amongst drill sergeants on getting new recruits to wake up.

"There you go, Private. He just needed a little remembering."

I looked around. Ally, Christian, and someone who seemed familiar, though I couldn't place him, were standing at my bedside.

"Hey, the prodigy has awoken!" said Christian.

"Yeah, yeah. Do you have a cigarette?"

The other guy gave me a Marlboro and pulled out a Zippo. There was an outline of a naked woman on it. I immediately knew who he was. "Sgt. Darko? Sgt. Frank Darko?"

He chuckled. "You recognized me! God, it's been…what, six years? Seven? Who's counting?"

Sergeant Darko had been my drill sergeant when I first entered the Marines. He pressed me harder and harder, trying to turn me into the perfect soldier. He'd often reward me with a Marlboro, and he'd always light his cigarettes with the same lighter: a Zippo that had the outline of a naked woman on it.

Although I hated him at the time, after boot camp was over, I began to envy him, thinking him like the father I never had. He was not only a great soldier, he was a scholar. He'd been collecting first edition books since he was a kid, and he had quite a collection: The Shining by Stephen King, and it was autographed; he also had The Wizard of Oz autographed, amongst others.

He had been planning on becoming a psychiatrist when he was in high school. However, his family was a military family and they persuaded him to join the military.

I got off my bed and ignored the searing pain in my head and neck. I gave him a bear hug. "What are you doing here?"

"They asked all retired military personal to help out. Plus, I was getting bored watching reruns of _Happy Days_ and blasting the head off those things."

Well, for whatever reason, I'm glad you're here." I smiled at Ally and Christian. "I'm glad you guys"—Ally cleared her throat loudly—"sorry, guys _and girls_ came."

I took another look at Sgt. Darko. He'd gone away from the typical military buzz-cut, and had grown his hair out. His gray hair now hung by his eyebrows. His face had more lines on it, and he had more bags under his eyes. Other than that though he looked all but the same.

I bent down to scratch my leg and pain shot through my neck and head. "Ahhh," I said, rubbing my neck. "Goddamn, that guy hit me hard."

Ally spoke for the first time. "He had brass knuckles. Why, I don't know….Plus, from what the other soldiers were saying, he had been on the edge, and you just pushed him over when you shot his friend."

"What happened to him?"

Christian spoke. "Sgt. Darko took care of him."

"And the other bitten people?"

No one said anything, and they all avoided each others gaze. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"I…uhh…" Christian muttered. "Uhh…Sergeant?"

"Well, they….for Christ's sake, I can't say it. It was too fuckin' horrible." I saw a shudder go down Frank's back.

"Stop being fuckin' pussies and just fucking tell me." I was getting irritable. All they did was kill them…right?

Ally looked at me. She spoke, but her voice was oddly unemotional. "They put every person who had been bitten into a spare barracks, and boarded up the doors and windows. Some people changed quicker than others." She looked down and took a seat. I thought I saw tears going down her face. "The ones who changed quicker started to eat the others. The screams were horrible."

"Fuck…." I whispered to myself. I looked at Sgt. Darko and Christian. "Is that true?"

Christian nodded, and Sgt. Darko said, "Yeah…"

"Who the fuck authorized that?"

"I did." We all looked in the doorway and I saw General Michael Hewitt. "And if I could, I'd authorize that shit again."

I looked at him incredulously. "What the hell is wrong with you? You could have just put them out of there misery."

"Well, _Private_, how about you let me make the decisions around here."

"Screw you," I said under my breath.

"What was that?"

"I said I'm all healed."

"Good. In fact, that's great. Because we just got an order saying that the president's daughter went missing near here, and we are to send out a rescue mission. And you just volunteered for it. But, I'm not a total asshole; I'll make you squad-leader. In fact, I'll even allow you to pick your own squad. You got one hour to get your gear, and to get your squad members. Five of them, excluding you."

With that, he left. I looked around. "Well, all of you are in my squad, of course."

"Fuckin' A. My AARP card was supposed to come today," said Sgt. Darko.


	4. Chapter 4

shoots Snake5.56's shoulder Oh, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? Please, continue. Oh, you were finished? Well then allow me to retort. (That's from Pulp Fiction, that wasn't an insult or anything.)

-The taping magazines. I just wanted two things here: 1) a Killzone reference (I love that game) and 2) I wanted Snyder to go badass for a second. I guess your right, but I always imagine myself doing that against zombies.

-The pistol. Well, I'm not in the military, so I can't retaliate here. I guess I just wanted some more guns.

-The sight. I'm not a guns expert. My bad.

-The Kevlar vest. Well, maybe in an apocalypse situation? You got me there.

-Gunner on the HUMVEE. You see a mob of crazy dudes coming after you? I'd open fire, worry about consequences later.

-Snyder firing….Umm…he's just a badass.

-The stabbing. Same as above.

-The pr0n bit was just some elementary fun. You've got to have _some_ sex in a story. It really had no point to the story, besides to strengthen Ally and Snyder's relationship (and to give Jenna Jameson some "love").

-He has the movie 'cause _Saving Private Ryan_ is the greatest movie of all time, except for maybe _The Godfather_.

Yeesh, Snake, made me feel terrible about my story. I'll take you up on that too, you can expect a wave of questions.

* * *

FYI, this chapter isn't the best; I wrote it over a series of months and choppy updates. Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

"_War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory." –Georges Clemenceau_

"Alright, well, we've still got two people left to 'recruit' for our squad," I said. "Anyone you guys recommend?"

Everyone looked at each other, but no one said any names. "Thanks for the help guys," I said, and ran my hand over my buzz-cut.

"I know someone, he's a straight shooter, and a good guy," Christian chimed in. "Name is"—he crossed his eyes, in a slightly comical way, though he was obviously thinking hard—"Pliskin. I don't know his first name."

"Great. Think he'll be up to this mission?"

"All we can do is ask, right?"

"Well, Christian, get right on that." Christian left, and I clapped my hands together. "Well, that clears one person, now we need one more. Anyone else? Frank?"

Frank looked at me wearily. "I've been semi-retired. I haven't been on base for awhile. Everyone I know that was a good soldier fought in Vietnam."

I looked at Ally, not expecting an answer. "Ally? Know anyone?"

She had been looking at her hands, but quickly glanced up at me, then back to her hands. "Well…I know one person. Her name is Danielle; and I don't know her last name. She's not exactly your typical Marine…she's a little…er…odd." She left the statement hanging in the air, leaving me with a slight uneasiness about Danielle.

"Well, this isn't exactly a typical situation, now is it?"

"Good point."

"Go find this 'Danielle.'" After Ally left, I murmured, "A first name and a last name…"

After a few seconds, I said, "Frank, we sure are in a pickle."

Despite the situation, he chuckled. Saying we were in a pickle was a favorite phrase between us.

"You got that right." He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a few drags from it and handed it to me. I took a long pull and gave it back to him. He spit on the end, and put the half of the cigarette that was left back in the pack.

"Frank, I'm really scared about this mission. I got a bad feeling that I'm not going to make it. This mission…it just scares me."

"I think that you're psyching yourself out. This mission is the same as any other that you've been on." With an afterthought, he added, "Except that these things don't have guns, they have teeth."

I sighed.

Christian entered the room with a smile, but after seeing the grimace on my face he frowned. "Who died?" he asked, trying some humor.

I looked at him and burst out laughing. The absurdity of the statement and the situation we were in seemed incredibly funny to me, for reasons unbeknownst to me. "I-I-I gotta tak"—I burst out in another round of giggles—"I gotta take a piss."

Christian didn't know why we were laughing so hard. "Seriously, who died?"

We both laughed harder.

Ally came in a few seconds later, and saw Frank and me laughing so hard. "Jeez guys, you're gonna die from laughing so hard."

At this, Christian joined us in our laughter, and I fell off my bed, my stomach and jaw hurting, and tears leaking out of my eyes.

I thought that piss was gonna leak out of me, so I stood up, and walked out the door, still chuckling. I heard Ally say, "Why did he leave?"

I looked at the signs, and saw one that said '_Lavatory_' and pointed to the left. I walked down the hallway feeling better. I needed a good laugh.

I went into the bathroom, and stepped into a stall. I looked at the toilet seat, and saw it was covered in urine, per usual. "Christ, people here are worse than fucking high schoolers."

I had an erection, for reasons I don't know, and it felt like it took me five minutes to start peeing. I started singing 'Beautiful Day' off tune. "It's a beautiful dayyyyyyyyy." I washed my hands, and used the paper towel to open the door. As the door closed, I shot the paper towel, but I saw it hit the rim of the trash can and roll to the side. Nobody's perfect.

On the way back to my hospital bed, I was whispering, "You're on the road/But you've got no destination."

I stepped back into my room smiling from the song.

"Was the piss really that good?" Christian asked.

I smiled. "Yeah, something like that. Fuck, I need a smoke." Both Christian and Frank pulled out packs of cigarettes, and handed me one. I took Frank's and put it in my mouth. He lit it, and I took Christian's and put it behind my ear.

"So," I said, blowing out a puff of smoke, "what's the news?"

Christian leaned back in his chair, and scratched his pubes, with no apparent care that there was a woman in the room. "I couldn't find Pliskin. I think he left on another mission."

I ashed the cigarette on the floor. "Figure out his first name?"

"No."

I sucked my teeth, a little annoyed. I looked over at Ally. "Any luck?"

"Yup. Danielle said she'll meet us by the helicopter at the time of the departure."

I nodded. This was better news than I expected. "Did she say if she needed any equipment?"

"She said that she already had everything that she needed."

I laughed. "Alright. Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we need some stuff. Am I right?"

Everyone agreed that they needed weapons, ammo, and just general junk.

They gave me a pair of fatigues, and a shirt, and I took off my hospital gown, and put on the clothes. "Okay, we obviously need to go to the armory, so does anybody know the way there?"

Everyone was silent. "Great guys, you are a real help. Well, c'mon let's get the fuck out of Dodge." We walked out of the room, and after a few minutes, and a few turnarounds, we left the medical bay.

We walked out of the double doors, and I looked at the base. Things had gotten worse over the few hours I had been out of submission. There was chaos everywhere it seemed to me. Everyone was running around, and no one knew what was going on.

"Wow," was all I could say. I jogged over towards someone who was barking out orders.

"Parkers get your fat fucking ass into that Humvee!" he screamed at some chubby private.

I glanced back at Ally, Christian, and Frank. I wasn't sure this is the person I wanted to ask something for.

He was staring menacingly in a different direction, and didn't notice me until I started talking to him.

"Sir, I have—"

"What the fuck do you want maggot?!" he screamed at me, spittle flew into my eyes.

I rubbed the saliva from my eyes. "Sir, as I was about to say, I have a question for you."

I waited a few seconds for him to respond. He seemed pissed that it was taking me so long to ask. "Well then fucking ask the damn question!"

"I was wondering if you knew where the armory was." After a second, I quickly added, "Sir."

"It might just be that building that says 'Armory' on it!" he yelled, pointing at a building.

The building was black, with a sign that said 'Armory' on it.

"Sir, thank you, sir."

I started to walk back to my group when I heard him yell, "Why the fuck is such a dumbass pussy in the Marines?"

I turned back and laughed. "Sir I got lost on the way to college, sir!"

I was astonished—I saw the very beginnings of a smile creep into his lips. I thanked him again, said good-bye

"Alright, I'm gonna guess it's that building that's got the sign that says armory on it, am I right?" Christian asked as I returned within hearing range.

"SNYDER'S SQUAD REPORT TO HELIPAD 3 IN TEN MINUTES!" came a voice over the loudspeaker.

"C'mon let's go." We set off on a jog, but before we had gotten very far, I heard a female voice scream, "Ally!"

Whenever someone yells one of your friend's names, you automatically turn around too, just to see who it is. So we all turned and I saw a woman jogging sprinting towards us. I glanced over at Ally, but she wasn't there. She was sprinting towards her friend.

"Hayli!" she screamed. They hugged, and immediately started talking feverishly. They were talking so much they seemed to be in their own world.

I whistled softly. "Wow. Women," I said, and snorted a little.

Frank, Christian, and I started talking about how horrible and great women were for a few minutes, when Ally walked over to me.

"Uh, Jack I have a question to ask you." She seemed a little hesitant.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Can…uh, can Hayli come with us?" she asked. "She's a really good soldier, she's really fun to be with, and I kn—"

"Of course she can come with us! We have one more spot to fill and I think she just filled it."

"Great! Hayli come over here!" she yelled at her friend.

Hayli walked over, and Ally introduced us to each other. "I'm Private Jack Snyder," I said and shook her hand. Her hands were soft.

I pointed to Christian. "That's Private Christian Sanchez, and that's retired Sergeant Frank Darko."

"I'm Private 1st Class Hayli Anderson."

"Well, Hayli it's a pleasure, but time is an essence and we've got to get going. You've already got your gear, so go to the helicopter."

"Roger!" she said, and ran off to the helipad.

We set off back to the armory. It took us about a minute to get there. One of the guards started to stop us, but the other stopped him, and let us through with a smile.

We stepped inside, and I quickly jogged over to the assault rifle row. A lot of the firearms were taken, but there were still plenty to go around.

"What should we get?" I asked.

"Well, were going to be in an urban situation, so the smaller the better. I'm thinking more submachine gun than assault rifle," Frank suggested.

"Remember that the enemy doesn't feel pain, so we're going for pure head shots, not body shots. I'm thinking the same as Frank," Ally chimed in.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna get a rifle. You three can go get your own weapons, whatever you feel comfortable getting, and bring them to me. I'll approve or veto a decision."

They all split off, but Frank stayed with me. "Something wrong Frank?" I asked.

"Jack, I'm thinking that I better just stay in the copter."

"What are you talking about?" I asked worried.

"I'm too old to run around and such. I can still shoot really well. I'll be your eye in the sky. I'll tell you where to go, where not to go, etcetera."

He had a point, and I told him to get a sniper rifle. He walked off, and I finally was alone to choose my guns.

I looked at the row of rifles. I grabbed the M16A2, and the M203 launcher attachment.

I picked up a Berretta 92FS

I walked over to the ammunition and grabbed as many clips as I could fit in my pockets. I also grabbed a few rounds for the grenade launcher and a smoke grenade just incase.

For the coup de grace I grabbed a small flask and filled it with Jack Daniels and I took a few packs of cigarettes.

"You guys done?" I yelled.

They all yelled back that they were and we met in the middle. Frank had gotten an M40, Christian got an MP5N, and Ally had a UMP45.

I checked my watch. "Alright, we've got about five minutes. Let's hurry up and go."

Christian and Ally looked a little confused at Frank's sniper rifle, but said nothing.

We ran out of the armory towards the helipad. Christian ran up next to me. "Dude, check out Ally," he whispered.

I looked at her for a few seconds. "What?" I asked, confused.

"Don't you think there's something hot about a chick with a gun?"

"You sick fuck. She's a soldier with a firearm. Nothing arousing about that."

"Whatever. I think it's hot."

We arrived at the helipad with seconds to spare. We got on our helicopter, a UH-60. There was Hayli and an unfamiliar person already in.

I looked at the stranger. "Danielle I assume?" I stuck out my hand.

"Never assume because it makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'. But, yes I am Danielle." She took my hand and gave it a little shake.

I understood why Ally was a little hesitant about wanting Danielle to come. She was dressed…differently.

Her hair, the part that was visible from her helmet was pink, blue, and blonde. She had a tattoo on part of her neck that went down to her shoulder. I couldn't make out all of it, but it looked like a cross with 666 written on it.

I looked over at Christian and he looked like he had found an angel. "Oh dear God," I heard him whisper faintly.

The chopper lifted off, and I tried to relax.

I put on a pair of the headphones after a few minutes. "Where are we going?" I said into the speaker.

"We'll arrive at our destination in about ten minutes."

"You didn't answer my question. Where are we going?"

"I've been told to not tell you that."

"Fuckin' A." I put up the headphones. I leaned over to Ally. "Why did you want to bring Danielle and not your best friend Hayli?" I asked.

"I didn't know Hayli was on base."

"And maybe because I'm a better soldier than this little prissy Paris Hilton bitch," Danielle said with a smile that betrayed her true emotions.

"Fuck you," Hayli said.

I watched as Hayli and Danielle got into an argument. I stepped in after a minute. "C'mon guys, break it up."

They glanced at me for a second before continuing. "You think because I'm actually attractive, unlike you, means I'm a bad soldier?" Hayli yelled.

"I'm saying because you get a manicure every other day, you are afraid to get your hands dirty!"

I let it go on for another minute. "Seriously, stop arguing." They continued.

I was getting pissed. I pulled out my pistol. I fired a shot outside. "I said STOP ARGUING!" I yelled.

That stopped them. I smiled. "Now, isn't that better?" I holstered my pistol. "I don't want to hear bitching. We're not on a mission to bitch. We're here to rescue the President's daughter. So, let's go in there, kill some people, and rescue some whore."

"Well said," Christian chimed in.

No one said anything for a few minutes until I felt the helicopter started to descend. "What the hell? We're not in the city," said Frank.

The helicopter landed. The pilot looked over his shoulder. "I was told to drop you down here. You're about a mile from the city."

"Why can't you just take us into the city? We don't even know where the girl is!" I yelled.

He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a map. "She was last seen in the building marked with red. It's not too far into the city. Now, please, get out of the fucking chopper."

"Piece of shit," I said, and took the map. "C'mon guys, orders are orders."

Everyone got off, but I stayed on for a second. "Do you have any idea what we're facing here? We're against an army that just keeps growing."

"Tough shit. I've got my orders too. I'll be back in five hours and I'll only wait for five minutes. If you're not there, you're walking back because I'm not staying."

"Asshole."

"Get out."

I got off, and within a few seconds the helicopter had left. We were left standing there.

"Frank, I think it's better if you just leave the rifle. Too much weight to carry right now."

He looked slightly crestfallen. He dropped the gun and pulled out his pistol, a Colt .45.

"How much ammo do you have for that?" I asked him.

He checked his pockets. "Four clips. About thirty bullets."

I looked at the rest of them. "Are all of you carrying sidearms?"

They all nodded. "Danielle, you and Frank switch pistols."

They did, and they looked at me for orders. I didn't want to be the leader. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. But I had a duty to do. "C'mon let's go," I said.

We set off, faced with an impossible mission.


	5. Author's Note

_Author's Note:_

_SS19 here! First and foremost, I want to thank you for reading my story, or looking at it, or reviewing it, or whatever. The reviews do help, trust me. I wanted to write this little note, for two reasons. One, to say that I have created a forum. I created the forum to discuss issues, especially regarding the military life. If I make any mistakes, post them there, and if I see fit, then I will change them. The second reason is also with my military information, or lack thereof._

_I'm not in the military. I'm not going to do extensive hours of research to get something right. My knowledge is slightly above the average human, but that doesn't mean that I know what I'm talking about. I know only what I've seen in movies/games, heard from people, seen, inferred, or discovered in my limited research that I've done._

_I realize that your reviews are meant to be helpful, which is why I've created the forum. But, seriously, if I make some small mistake (i.e. don't capitalize Army, or if I bring something into the story that wouldn't be allowed, such as an iPod) then don't bust my balls on it. Focus more on the storyline, than the military mistakes, please._

_That's all! I'm not sure when the next chapter is coming but it will hopefully be within the next month, but no promises._

_Thanks,_

_SS19_


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